BLACKBURN Queen's Park Technology College has caused a stir with its link up with local businesses to provide rewards for children who hit targets on attendance.

It is the second innovative project the school has introduced earlier this year after its successful trial of sending parents text messages to let them know their children had 'bunked off'.

The scheme has been introduced as part of the school's mentoring programme which teachers and education bosses say is very complex and not a case of rewarding children who have behaved badly in the past.

Lorraine Marshall says the school feels that the reward system best fits the requirements of the students they have under their mentoring scheme.

She said: "Every system has its critics but we have to show children things can change if they make an effort and if they put that effort in they can earn rewards."

Peter Morgan, director of education and lifelong learning at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We, in partnership with local schools place a great deal of emphasis on celebrating success and achievement. Rewarding and celebrating success doesn't just happen at these events but is part of the ethos and culture we develop and encourage in our schools.

"This scheme is just one example of both aiming high and encouraging opportunity for all."

And the get tough approach, such as introducing fixed penalty fines for parents who allow their children to skip school, is not without its critics.

Some heads said the proposals could have a detrimental affect on the relationship between schools and parents, and that parents could be unfairly punished.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis is a former head-teacher of a secondary school.

He said the proposals could cause "huge hostility" in schools.

He said schools that were good at tackling truancy and bad behaviour did so through improving the curriculum and giving children a reason to remain in school.

No

IF REWARDS represent the 'carrot' method of getting children back to school, then the Government has also given some schools in the UK the 'stick'.

Ministers recently announced plans to give heads new powers to issue the fixed-penalty notices, similar to parking tickets to parents.

Research compiled earlier this year during localised truancy "sweeps" found that in 80 per cent of truancy cases parents were aware their children were not in school.

From the government's point of view, it is clear it is willing to take a more lenient view of parents who try their best to get their children to school, but those who knowingly accept truancy face tough action.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke said: "Truancy sweeps earlier this year showed half of truants picked up were with their parents.

"We will help those parents who have a genuine problem controlling their children's behaviour. But for those who show a total disregard of the rules by taking children out of school without permission, we will introduce fixed-penalty notices."

Locally, Blackburn with Darwen Council has not been afraid to use its powers to punish parents who allow their children to play truant.

Its prosecuted a mother whose 15-year-old son had attended only 11 out of 353 sessions at Witton Park High School between September 2001 and July 2002.

The threat of a prison sentence for the mother saw the boy transformed into a model pupil who missed only one session in a term and that was down to illness.

Which is an approach local Conservatives agree with.

Conservative education spokesman on Blackburn with Darwen Council Coun Sheila Williams said the onus on getting children to school should be placed firmly on the parents.

She said: "This scheme gives rewards for simply complying with legal requirements. It may be in line with so-called modern thinking but it's the parents' responsibility to get children into school and they should face the consequences if they do not.